Amir Levy

Biography:
Amir Levy is an Israeli/American photojournalist currently based in Israel. Amir's personal work focuses on social and environmental struggles and exploring communities narratives where people are impacted by the industrial...
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Members of the Falash Mura Jewish Ethiopian community listen during a Torah lesson after an hanouka service at the HaTikvah synagogue in Gondar, Northern Ethiopia on December 24, 2019. (Photo by Amir Levy)

Kids of the Falash Mura Jewish Ethiopian community play with dreidels before a Shabat and Hanukkah service at the HaTikvah synagogue in Gondar, Northern Ethiopia on December 27, 2019. (Photo by Amir Levy)

In Ethiopia, for almost 20 years the remaining 7000 Ethiopian Jews of the Falash Mura community are waiting to immigrate to Israel. The Falash Mura is the given name to the descendants Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity due to variety of reasons in the 19th century. The Falash Mura asked to return to Judaism 100 years later. Through out the years Israel has recognized their judaism and decided to act to bring them to Israel. But in fact only part of the Falash Mura community were approved to move to Israel. This situation led to torn families as some of them didn't see their relatives for a decade or two. The main oppositions say they are not jews and that further immigration of the Falash Mura community will lead to continuous cycle of non Jewish Ethiopians who will claim they are part of the Falash Mura.